PARLIAMENT CONTROVERSY OVER NOMINATION OF HUNGARIAN COMMISSIONERKOVACS.

No clear approval of Commissioner-designate for Energy, Hungarian Lazlo Kovacs, emerged from the European Parliament's Industry and Energy Committee on October 12, following his controversial hearing on 30 September (see issue 2900, Section IV). A common position could not be established, but Mr Kovacs allies in the Socialist PES group came together to protect him.

The outcome of the meeting is a very critical letter from the Committee's co-ordinators which states that a majority of MEPs were "not convinced of his professional competence in energy, nor of his aptitude to assume the high office he has been proposed for. But it adds that "one...